First Growths, Yquem, 100+Madeira

So, at a prior event my friend John V. and I were talking about pre-phyloxera Madeira's. John said he had a bottle and we could put a tasting together around it. I suggested we all chip in for the cost and bring a bottle, but John upped the ante and said he would donate it and another bottle. We talked about how we would not be doing this much anymore as the pricing is crazy expensive which led us to First Growths and a tasting was born. 7 of us brought the first growths and John provided the FOUR dessert wine. The rules for the first growths were they had to be a great vintage which I defined as 82, 89, 90, 95, 96, 00 or 09. 05 and 10 did not make it as they re too shut down. 03 is too inconsistent. Arbitrary rules, but there it is. We all converged on John's house. The wines were opened and allowed to breathe for a short time while we drank a white starter that I brought. Then on to the tasting. The wines (except the starter) were consumed non-blind over the course of 2.5 hours. Breads and cheeses were served.

This was served blind. From the top producers, white Bordeaux can be so good. sadly, this is a producer I will no longer afford in top vintages. In any event, a great way to get the party started.

• 2001 Château Pape Clément Blanc 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  This was drinking beautifully. Showing just a hint of age at 14 years from vintage. Light golden in color. The nose has honeysuckle and wax on it. Crisp. Honeyed with red apples on the palate. Nice minerality. No oxidation. Complex layering. A last couple of sips at the end of the night were even better. Beautiful wine.

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We had the inevitable discussion about Bordeaux vs. Napa, but no matter where you come down on that, there is no denying that when on, the Frist Growths are truly some of the great wines of the world. It seems funny that Napa tries to emulate Bordeaux in many ways while Bordeaux moves closer in style to Napa IMO. This is not bad as the wines get better and better from both. Who can blame either party for wanting to make better wines?

This was a nice selection as we got a nice look at the 95 vintage. There has always been the debate between 95/96. I like them both, but the 95's have traditionally been harder and slower to come around. At 20 years, it looks like they are finally getting there though. These all performed amazingly.

We also got a nice look at a mini-Mouton vertical which was cool. Certainly some consistency there.

• 1989 Château Mouton Rothschild 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Really a nice wine, but outclassed by the company it was in. Ruby in color with slight browning. The nose has a nice Bordeaux funk with some dried red cherries. A little bit of cedar with some pencil lead. This is consistent with the other Mouton's on the table if a bit past prime. There is a nice complexity here although it is a bit soft on the palate. Still some fruit left and the tannins seem resolved. Nice balance. These should be drunk up soon.

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• 1995 Château Haut-Brion 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Gorgeous wine. Ruby/purple, very deep coloring. The nose is awesome. Slight funk. Cassis and dark cherries, some earthiness, some oak showing. On the palate, firm but not overwhelming tannins. Nice acidity. Layers of fruit and earth. Probably not quite at peak but coming around beautifully. Improved in the glass .

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• 1995 Château Latour Grand Vin 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This is still young. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, vanilla, cedar and spice. On the palate, there are strong tannins, tons of fruit; cassis and plums and just a bit of earth. Tight layering that took all night to unwind in the glass. Still years from peak. An amazing wine that might be the best of this group in ten years.

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• 1995 Château Margaux 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  My WOTN. Such a pretty wine. Everything you hope for in Margaux. Vibrant purple coloring. The nose is sweet perfume with cherries, cassis and some red licorice. On the palate, this shows a bit of age and is probably at peak IMO. Cassis, and dried cherries with slight earthiness. Nice balance. Long finish. No hurry but won't get better.

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• 1995 Château Mouton Rothschild 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  The groups WOTN. Gorgeous wine just this side of peak I would think. Inky purple in color. The nose has cassis, earth, vanilla and pencil lead. Juicy acidity. Great fruit on the palate. Still firm tannins. Long finish. This is a powerful wine but has some elegance to it as well.

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• 1996 Château Mouton Rothschild 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Cool to have this to give us a three year mini-vertical of Mouton. All three were pretty consistent in style. This was inky purple in color. The nose had a soapy quality to start which blew off quickly leaving cassis, some earth, and pencil lead. On the palate, there is a tarter acidity than the other wines but plenty of fruit to balance it. Still some firm tannins. It has a sweeter fruit character than the 95, but within reason. Another gorgeous wine that is getting close to peak but not quite.

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• 2009 Château Lafite Rothschild 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This one stood out for its youth of course but was very interesting. 2009 is such an accessible vintage, but I wondered would that extend to Lafite? Certainly it did. This wine is drinking beautifully right now. The question that we had was is it typical. Jeff described it as a gorgeous 2009 but lacking Lafiteness. I would agree to some extent. Blind with a bunch of the best Napa cabs, it might be WOTN, but would anyone pick it out as a ringer? I doubt it. Inky purple in color. The nose has cassis, cedar, black licorice and vanilla. On the palate, lovely lush texture. Tons of cassis fruit. Some tannins. delicious. Long finish. This was open and drinking beautifully tonight. I think it will still improve a lot and easily last a couple more decades. I doubt I will get to try it again, but it would be interesting to revisit if much farther down the road to see where it went.

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John opened this. Very generous. I had not had this vintage before. It really got short shrift in a way as the buzz from the First Growths and the allure of the Madeira's and the surprise of throwing this in, left people at a loss for words. Too bad as it deserved an hour on its own.

• 2009 Château d'Yquem 100 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  What a wild tasting. This almost got overlooked between the first growths and the Madeira's. But Wow. I kept going back to it. From a 375. Just a perfect wine IMO. So much better than a recent 05 or 10. Light golden in color. The nose has honey, floral notes, pineapple and citrus. Viscous. Sweet not cloying. The palate matches the nose with such a great persistence. An incredibly long finish. Wow. Perhaps not quite the 2001 but it would be great to drink them side by side to see.

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Some of the most amazing wines in the world. Yes, they are expensive, but if at all possible, all wine lovers need to figure out a way to sample these amazing wine. Chris brought some grilled bread and Nutella that we tasted alongside these wines. It actually worked nicely as a pairing.

• 1860 Blandy's Madeira Bual 100 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Wow. An amazing experience that can not be separated from the wine itself. This was decanted at 10:00 in the morning and served at 9:30pm. Iced tea in color. The nose is incredible with "tootsie rolls", oranges, tea and a slight date note. Complex and layered on the nose and the palate. Smooth with just a hint of alcohol. Great texture. Layer after layer of fruit and candy and tea. Long finish. We were so blown away by the wine, that we hardly discussed what was going on in 1860. Lincoln had not yet even been President. This was gown on pre-phyloxera vines. A real treat to have.

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• 1910 Barbeito Madeira Bual Reserva Velha 95 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Hard to believe this is over 100 years old and still 50 years younger than the 1860. Still, WWI had not yet begun and the world was a much different place when this was made. Deeper brown in color. The nose has chocolate, slight figs, orange peel and oranges. Medium bodied. Some alcohol showing but just a hint. Delicious. Layers of complexity. Beautiful wine.

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• 1912 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho 96 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  John had half a bottle of this on his counter that he had been working on, so he generously added this to the tasting. Talk about gilding the lily. Wow. Iced tea in color. The nose has carmel, tea, oranges and hints of milk chocolate. Great acidity on the palate. Not really sweet but there is a sense of sweetness. Layers of complexity. Fruit and carmel. Long finish. Another final wow to an amazing tasting.

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It was a great tasting, not likely to be repeated by us. Thanks to all for digging deep, especially John. Until next time...